


Spare Me

by Frogmenace



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Comfort/Angst, F/F, F/M, M/M, The Until Dawn cast will always be stuck in a bad timeline no matter what
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 10:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4956649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frogmenace/pseuds/Frogmenace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>If it weren’t for the fact that Jeannie Simmonds hit puberty like three years early and on that day decided to wear a low cut shirt that showed off her training bra, I mean who knows? You could be riding in this cable car alone. Right now. Or talking to some other person entirely. Boom: Butterfly effect.</i><br/>---</p>
<p>Chris’ first ever crush was on a girl named Jeannie Simmonds in the second grade. She had invited him to her birthday party once and it was like love at first invitation. But that love was short lived for a week later, Jeannie Simmonds moved and so did his fragile adolescent heart. Thinking back on it now, Chris sometimes wonders what would have happened had Jeannie Simmonds not moved all those years ago. Perhaps, he’d be another person entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spare Me

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my absolutely amazing beta. I don't think I would have been able to write this fic, let alone find the nerve to post it without your help!

Chris’ first ever crush was on a girl named Jeannie Simmonds in the second grade. They had never really spoken much; she sat at the back of the classroom while he (ever the studious kid that he was) sat in the front. In fact, the main (if not only) reason he liked her was based on the fact that she had invited him to her birthday party once. He of course had later found out that said party was one in which she had been required to invite everyone from class, but having never been invited to another classmates’ birthday party beforehand, it was practically love at first invitation.

After that, Chris had spent most of the school year sending Jeannie shy glances from a-far, dreaming of the day when he would finally be able to hold her hand. In fact, it wasn’t until the beginning of the third grade that Chris finally struck up the nerve to speak to her. After spending a few seconds of horribly fumbling over his words and mumbling whatever he could get out, she had agreed to sit with him during lunch which, as a kid, was quite possibly the most historic moment of his life. 

Needless to say their meeting was a lot less eventful than Chris had hoped it would be. Instead of holding hands and sharing lunch together as Chris had hoped, Jeannie spent the entire time talking to her friends as Chris sat idly besides her. Although, even if their meeting hadn’t been as awkward as it was, Chris still wouldn’t have had much time to spend with her, for a week later Jeannie Simmonds moved and so did his fragile adolescent heart. He was heartbroken for utmost of a week until his parents bought him the latest gaming contraption for his birthday and his kid self found other means to keep preoccupied and entertained. And so went his love for Jeannie Simmonds, long forgotten under the pixels of his newest videogame. 

Looking back on his second grade class picture (one that his mom had insisted he keep all these years), that incident feels so long ago; a picture which features a young Chris smiling awkwardly at the camera and wearing glasses too big for his face while Jeannie grins confidently a row ahead, dolled up in tight curls. Holding the worn photograph in his hands, Chris has the sudden thought of how much different his life would have become had Jeannie Simmonds not moved all those years ago. Jeannie Simmonds moving isn’t so much of an important event (at least one that he would readily go back to change if given the chance) in his life as it is interesting to ponder over who exactly he would have been now if she hadn't moved. It’s the “what ifs” about the whole thing that keeps him wondering.

“You have everything you need?” His mom asks from the doorway. 

Chris glances behind himself to give her a reassuring smile, knowing that she’ll need it. Her eyes are still damp from crying earlier that day and judging by the increasing wetness in them as she surveys his practically empty room; she’s dangerously on the verge of tears again.  
“Yeah hold on,” Chris says, giving the photo one last look before he tucks it into his backpack. He stands up straight and turns around once, arms outstretched. “Well what do you think? Do I look more like a big boy and less like a nerd now?”

His mom hiccups but tries to hide it behind a watery smile. “Honey, you know you’ll always be a nerd no matter what clothes you insist on wearing.”

Chris clutches a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. “Wow, betrayed by my own mother. You know, I’ll remember this. Twenty years from now I’m going to wonder why my self esteem is so low and I’ll remember that it was all because my mom called me a nerd once.”

His mom laughs but it cuts off at a choked sob. Chris sighs, dropping his backpack to the floor and walking over the envelope his mom into a hug. She immediately brings her arms up to wrap around him, clutching at him for dear life.

“Why did you have to grow up so fast?” she says between hiccups. 

“Mom…you know I can’t stay here forever. Baby bird’s gotta leave the nest eventually.” 

He can’t exactly blame her for crying. After his dad had left them earlier that year, life at home had been kind of rough. In fact, it’s the main reason why he’s going to Blackwoods University and not the college he had originally been planning to attend. While he _will_ be dorming at Blackwoods, it is still significantly closer than the other university. Being the only child and now the only other member in the house, he felt that he at least owed it to his mother to be within driving distance of her. 

“I know…I know,” she says, pulling back to dab at her eyes. She looks up at Chris and smiles, gently patting his cheek. “I just don’t want you to go away.”

“I won’t be away forever, mom. I’ll make sure to visit and bake cookies for you although I can’t promise that they’ll be edible.”

“Yes, you and I both know that your cooking is atrocious, dear,” she says with a smile. “But I’ll keep you to that promise.” 

After another round of tearful goodbyes, one of which he actually does shed a couple of tears for; Chris sets off on the road and tries not to look back. He blasts the car radio as loud as it can possibly go without bursting the worn speakers and sings horribly off key in an attempt to calm the excitement and persistent restlessness that bubbles underneath his skin. His fingers fidget on the steering wheel, tapping insistently to the rhythm of the song currently on the radio. Thoughts of being in a new environment, around new people, and having some semblance of independence all have Chris grinning to himself from the exhilaration of it all. He glances at himself in the mirror and thinks; _everything’s going to be all right._

\---

“Honey, I’m home!” He announces as he steps into the dorm room only to find it decidedly empty. He looks around in hopes of finding some signs of life but comes up empty handed. The only thing he finds is a curious note placed a top one of the already made beds. Chris reaches over to inspect it.

_Gonna be gone for a few hours. Make yourself at home. –Mike_

“Alright,” Chris mumbles to himself, setting the note back down. While he would much rather get the customary introductions out of the way, he supposes that moving in without the hassle of another body in the room is rather convenient. 

He steps back and takes the opportunity to examine the room more closely. Mike’s side of the room isn’t that extravagant; aside from the rather expensive looking sound system in the corner, the room is pretty plain as far as dorms go. Besides the necessities, a handful of car and motorcycle magazines followed by various CDs sit tucked in a neat corner of their shared bookshelf. Giving a peek at the collection of CDs, Chris finds that the selections aren’t _completely_ awful but John Mayer, really? 

The clipboard beside Mike’s bed seems to be the most decorated item in the room, displaying various photos and other items Chris doesn’t know the context behind. Going over to further inspect the photos, he sees an assortment of selfies, family photos, and group photos. He assumes that the recurring guy he sees in the photos is Mike. Mike is a relatively attractive guy, in a roughish sort of manner. He definitely seems like the type of guy who rides around on a motorcycle and finds a particular thrill in making fathers furious when he’s brought home to meet the parents. Mike’s not exactly the type of guy Chris would usually socialize with, but he has to admit that he can appreciate him on a purely aesthetic level. Aside from that, Chris simply has to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and assume that Mike is a nice enough guy. He seems to have a close knit group of friends if the pictures are anything to go by, so Chris is hoping he can rule out the “Mr. Popular” stereotype.

Giving the room a final once over, Chris goes to finally unpack his things. He’s much like Mike in the sense that he didn’t really plan on accessorizing his dorm. In Chris’ book, as long as he has his laptop and a steady stream of constant wi-fi, he’s got all that he needs to survive. Although, Chris did also happen to pack a lava lamp on top of the essentials. In his defense, a lava lamp has always been (and will always be in his opinion) an absolute necessity no matter what living environment; it's basically the fundamentals of living 101. Setting said lava lamp up beside his bed and taking a moment to watch as it warms up he agrees that yes, it is _absolutely_ a necessity. 

He is halfway through unpacking his belongings when he receives a text message from Sam. He had met Sam earlier that week at orientation where they had later exchanged phone numbers. She was a nice enough girl, a real class president type in his opinion. 

{13:08:23} SAM: _How’s dorm life treating you so far? :)_

{13:09:10} CHRIS: _Pretty good. Almost done unpacking. Although the ol’ roommates out for who knows how long_

{13:10:14} SAM: _Oh that’s perfect! Once you’re done you should come down and meet up with me and my friends! I can introduce you :)_

{13:10:30} CHRIS: _Sure. Where you guys gonna be at?_

{13:11:02} SAM: _We’re all actually hanging out at my friend Josh’s house. It’s super close to campus and it’s huge. His parents are crazy rich._

{13: 12: 00} CHRIS: _Well I was actually planning on heading over to some pretty sick parties I got invited to because, as you know, I’m crazy popular but I guess I can cancel to join your little loser fest. But just this once. I can’t ruin my street cred_

{13:12:05} SAM: _Hardy har. I’ll text you the address and directions._

\---

The Washington property is located in the more secluded, more “impressive” part of Blackwoods. While Blackwoods is a nice enough place as it is, there is definitely something to be said about the sort of intimidating extravagance from this particular part of the neighborhood. While the properties are ridiculous in size, Chris is completely baffled at the fact that has to take an entirely separate road, one that branches away from the other large properties, to reach the destination. 

As he nears the property he notices Sam waiting for him outside of the notably large entrance gates. She smiles pleasantly at him as he exits his car, meeting him halfway. Chris makes of show of whistling loudly, giving Sam an over exaggerated look of surprise as he takes in the entire image of what could only be described as a mansion. Sam laughs, retaliating by giving him a playful shove. Chris, caught off guard by the surprising force, stumbles sideways. Sam snorts as Chris turns to give her a wounded look. 

All jokes aside however, huge doesn’t even begin to cover the sheer size of the house. When Sam said that Josh’s parents were rich, she wasn’t kidding. Chris’ own parents had been pretty well off themselves and his mom on her own made a well above decent living -it was the main reason why he was able to both attend and dorm at Blackwoods University and not some other less expensive campus close by- but Chris’ family would never have amounted to anything quite like this. 

"I told you it was huge." Sam says with a cheeky smile. 

“Let’s just hope they aren’t compensating for anything.” Chris says with a waggle of his eyebrows. 

Sam rolls her eyes but smiles nonetheless. “Come on, dumbo, everyone’s already waiting inside.” 

Chris wanders after Sam and, once inside, is met with five other people lounging about in the impressively sized living room. As they near the group, Chris is surprised to see vaguely familiar faces.  


“Hey guys, this is Chris. Chris, this is everybody.” 

At her announcement, they all turn in Chris’ direction and give him greetings in varying degrees of enthusiasm as Sam begins to go through actual introductions. Seated closest to him is Ashley, a petite girl with bright red hair and large doe-eyes. She gives him a shy smile and a wave which he returns in kind. Besides her sits Matt, a young man with dark skin and donned in a letterman jacket that Chris assumes he hardly -if ever- takes off, if its ratted appearance it anything to go by. Matt gives him a simple head nod in his direction. 

Seated across Ashley and Matt are quite possibly two of the most intimidating looking girls he’s ever met. Emily looks like she just walked right out of an expensive magazine with a cold, judging look to match. She has her arm around who Sam introduces as Jess, a blonde cheerleader type girl who looks like she runs a fashion blog in her spare time. Emily mumbles something into Jess’ ear and the two giggle secretively amongst themselves. Chris suddenly feels like he’s taken a trip back to high school, desperately trying to go unnoticed by the self proclaimed popular kids. Besides them sits the most familiar looking of the group. Before Sam even has the chance to introduce him, Chris pipes up. 

“You wouldn’t happen to be Mike would you?” 

The guy in question raises an eyebrow and looks Chris over curiously. “I guess?” 

Chris puts on his best smile and reaches over to shake his hand. “This isn’t exactly how I expected us to meet but I guess you could call it fate. I’m your new roommate.” 

Mike warms up a bit at that, huffing out a laugh and giving Chris’ hand a firm shake in return. “Small world,” he says with a crooked grin. Chris is willing to bet that that exact grin has gotten Mike what he wanted various times in the past. 

“Where’s Josh at?” Sam asks suddenly, glancing around the room as if she just now noticed his absence. 

“Off scurrying around hoping to find more booze, where else?” Mike says from his perch besides Jess and Emily. 

Sam huffs in exasperation. “Of course he is.” 

“Alright, alright, alright, party people. I have located the alcohol,” a voice says from down the hall. 

"Speak of the devil,” Emily mumbles, Jess giggling from besides her. 

"There you are, Josh." Sam says, smiling affectionately at this newcomer. "I’d like you to meet Chris, a new edition to our merry little band of misfits. Chris, this is Josh.” 

Josh is definitely not what Chris had expected to say the least. In fact, Josh is an incredibly stark contrast to the pompous show off Chris had originally envisioned. The man in question looks excessively laid-back, enough to the point where even his movements looked a tad bit lazy, although this was most likely a side effect from the drinking everyone had insinuated he’d been doing beforehand. 

As cliché as it sounds, Josh’s eyes are the first thing that Chris notices, although it’s the lack of sleep evident in them that mainly catches his attention. Josh’s eyes are a subdued almost muted ebony, surrounded by a vivid shade of pink and an almost bruised purple where the skin rose from puffiness. The look isn't exactly foreign to Chris, he remembers all too well developing a similar appearance after pulling one too many all nighters. 

“Glad to have you over at casa de la Washington,” Josh says in a smooth drawl, reaching to offer his hand in greeting. “Make yourself at home, make yourself comfortable. Mi casa is su casa and all that. Don’t worry; we’ve got all the good shit here.” As if to prove his point, Josh takes a long drink from the open bottle of liquor in his hand, wagging his eyebrows playfully in Chris' direction. 

Chris huffs a laugh. “I’ll bet.” 

Josh is definitely endearing in an odd sort of way. He seems like the kind of guy whose antics people would shrug at and simply say "That's just Josh for you". Chris can't say that that's a particularly bad thing. 

Sam, ever the disapproving mother, snatches the bottle away from Josh. “Keep that up and you’re going to be out cold before six and I am not going to be waiting around to baby you when you’re hungover in the morning.” 

“Aw, don’t be such a buzzkill, Sammy Wammy.” Sam snorts at the use of the childish nickname, crossing her arms and looking unimpressed, but doesn’t bother correcting Josh or protesting otherwise. 

“Now are we going get this party started or what?” Josh exclaims. 

Josh is by far the most enthusiastic in the room (too loud and much too eager for whatever it is he has planned) although Mike doesn't protest when Josh tosses a beer can in his direction. 

As if an afterthought, Josh turns to face Chris, raising his bottle to the air in a clumsily uncoordinated maneuver, smile as sloppy as his movements. "A toast! To our dear new friend, Christopher!” 

Mike raises his can in the air indulgently and Ashley makes a half hearted “yay” sound. Chris raises his empty hand towards Josh, clanking his imaginary bottle with his. Josh grins widely (obviously pleased by the display) and turns towards the group of friends, tossing his arms in the air with an eager vigor. 

“Too many good days to come and all of that crap! _Now let’s get fucking wasted!”_

Sam rolls her eyes at Josh’s behavior ( _that’s just Josh for you_ , goes unspoken) and gently nudges Chris with a smile, moving over to join the group. Before he trails after Sam, Chris takes a brief moment to take in the scene; Josh talking way too loudly as he envelopes both Ashley and Matt into an embrace, Ashley gently shoving at Josh while Matt accepts his fate; Sam and Mike locked in conversation together and Jess and Emily looking much too caught up in whatever important discussion they’re having. 

Chris doesn’t bother hesitating any longer, deciding then to join in the commotion. He takes a seat besides Mike, immediately getting drawn into the conversation he and Sam had been having prior. Eventually the entire party is enveloped in a conjoined conversation that switches topics so quickly Chris forgets what they’re even talking about half ways through. As Mike and Josh are busy demonstrating the “proper” form of a tussle whilst everyone besides Sam and Matt encourage from the sidelines, Chris thinks to himself, _everything’s going to be all right._

How he wishes that could have remained true. 

**Author's Note:**

> In which Jeannie Simmonds moving somehow causes a zombie apocalypse.


End file.
